Sunday 17th  March

5th Sunday of Lent 

year B

Psalter Week 1

Saint PATRICK

Purple

Born in Ireland, Abban resided in Abingdon, England before the era of St. Patrick. Abban is part of the great panorama of early Irish Christians who served as models for European monasticism and faith.

Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 42: 1-2          

Give me justice, O God,and plead my cause against a nation that is faithless. From the deceitful and cunning rescue me, for you, O God, are my strength.

Collect    

By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God, may we walk eagerly in that same charity with which, out of love for the world, your Son handed himself over to death.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel (and the House of Judah), but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master. It is the Lord who speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord!’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest – it is the Lord who speaks – since I will forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to mind.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 50(51):3-4,12-15

R/ A pure heart create for me, O God.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence,  nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervour sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you.

Second reading: Hebrews 5:7-9            

During his life on earth, Christ offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.

Gospel Acclamation: Jn12:26                

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God! Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord; and where I am, there also will my servant be. Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Gospel: John 12:20-33            

Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. These approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, ‘Sir, we should like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together went to tell Jesus. Jesus replied to them: ‘Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.

Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him. Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name!’ A voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ People standing by, who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder; others said, ‘It was an angel speaking to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours. ‘Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of this world is to be overthrown. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men to myself.’

By these words he indicated the kind of death he would die.

Prayer over the Offerings        

Hear us, almighty God, and, having instilled in your servants the teachings of the Christian faith, graciously purify them by the working of this sacrifice. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon            

Amen, Amen I say to you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single grain. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Prayer after Communion        

We pray, almighty God, that we may always be counted among the members of Christ, in whose Body and Blood we have communion. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Prayer over the People          

Bless, O Lord, your people, who long for the gift of your mercy, and grant that what, at your prompting, they desire they may receive by your generous gift. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

Jesus teaches his disciples how God will glorify him, and a voice from heaven is heard to affirm this teaching. Jesus will glorify God through his suffering, death, and Resurrection. Using the metaphor of the grain of wheat, Jesus presented the idea that his death would be beneficial. He also taught that those who would be his disciples must follow his example of sacrifice. This voice, as heard at Jesus’ baptism and Jesus’ Transfiguration—events reported in the Synoptic Gospels but not in John’s Gospel—affirms that God welcomes the sacrifice that Jesus will make on behalf of others. In John’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that this voice was sent for the sake of those who would believe in him.

Saturday 16th  March

Saint Abban

Purple

Born in Ireland, Abban resided in Abingdon, England before the era of St. Patrick. Abban is part of the great panorama of early Irish Christians who served as models for European monasticism and faith.

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 17: 5, 7

The waves of death rose about me; the pains of the netherworld surrounded me. In my anguish I called to the Lord, and from his holy temple he heard my voice.

Collect

May the working of your mercy, O Lord, we pray, direct our hearts aright, for without your grace we cannot find favour in your sight. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading : Jeremiah 11:18-20

The Lord revealed it to me; I was warned. O Lord, that was when you opened my eyes to their scheming. I for my part was like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughter-house, not knowing the schemes they were plotting against me, ‘Let us destroy the tree in its strength, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name may be quickly forgotten!’ But you, the Lord of Hosts, who pronounce a just sentence, who probe the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 7:2-3,9-12

R/   Lord God, I take refuge in you.

Lord God, I take refuge in you. From my pursuer save me and rescue me, lest he tear me to pieces like a lion and drag me off with no one to rescue me.

Give judgement for me, Lord; I am just and innocent of heart. Put an end to the evil of the wicked! Make the just stand firm, you who test mind and heart, O just God!

God is the shield that protects me, who saves the upright of heart. God is a just judge slow to anger; but he threatens the wicked every day.

Gospel Acclamation : Ezk33:11

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel : John 7:40-52

Several people who had been listening to Jesus said, ‘Surely he must be the prophet’, and some said, ‘He is the Christ’, but others said, ‘Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem?’ So the people could not agree about him. Some would have liked to arrest him, but no one actually laid hands on him. The police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees who said to them, ‘Why haven’t you brought him?’ The police replied, ‘There has never been anybody who has spoken like him.’ ‘So’ the Pharisees answered ‘you have been led astray as well? Have any of the authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees? This rabble knows nothing about the Law – they are damned.’ One of them, Nicodemus – the same man who had come to Jesus earlier – said to them, ‘But surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without giving him a hearing and discovering what he is about?’ To this they answered, ‘Are you a Galilean too? Go into the matter, and see for yourself: prophets do not come out of Galilee.’

Prayer over the Offerings

Be pleased, O Lord, we pray,  with these oblations you receive from our hands, and, even when our wills are defiant, constrain them mercifully to turn to you. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon : Cf. 1 Pt 1: 18-19

By the precious Blood of Christ, the Blood of a spotless and unblemished Lamb, we have been redeemed.

Prayer after Communion

May your holy gifts purify us, O Lord, we pray, and by their working render us fully pleasing to you. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People       

Look upon your people, O Lord, and, as they draw near to the coming festivities, bestow upon them abundance of heavenly grace, that, helped by the consolations of this world, they may be impelled more readily towards higher goods that cannot be seen. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation

Often the good people are a threat to the bad ones. Often the ways of the just people indeed challenge the ways of the wicked people, and thus we plot against them. Instead of learning to change, we plot their elimination, or if it is at the workplace, we plot their dismissal, demotion, etc. All these plots show how we fail to know the invitations of the Lord for conversion. The wicked plots we set for others, hoping to keep them unsuccessful in life, might be used by the Lord to raise them up. What will befall us when he changes our wicked plots into blessings to the good people (cf. Gen 50:20)? Before we fight people, let us know clearly whom we are fighting, fighting good people is equal to fighting the Divine plans (cf. Act 5:39). Remember that even Jesus widened the idea of God when he says; each person we treat the way we treat, we do it to him (cf. Mt 25:40).

Friday 15th  March

Blessed John Anne

 (- 1589)

Purple

He was born at Wakefield in Yorkshire, where he married and had a family: on his wife’s death he divided his property among his children and left for the Continent to become a priest.

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 53: 3-4

O God, save me by your name; by your power, defend my cause. O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.

Collect

O God, who have prepared fitting helps for us in our weakness, grant, we pray, that we may receive their healing effects with joy and reflect them in a holy way of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading : Wisdom 2:1,12-22

The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning: ‘Our life is short and dreary, nor is there any relief when man’s end comes, nor is anyone known who can give release from Hades. Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing. He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a son of the Lord. Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking, the very sight of him weighs our spirits down; his way of life is not like other men’s, the paths he treads are unfamiliar. In his opinion we are counterfeit; he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth; he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy and boasts of having God for his father. Let us see if what he says is true, let us observe what kind of end he himself will have. If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies. Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the proof. Let us condemn him to a shameful death since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’ This is the way they reason, but they are misled, their malice makes them blind. They do not know the hidden things of God, they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded, they can see no reward for blameless souls.

Responsaorial Psalm : Psalm 33:16,18,19-21,23

R/ The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.

The Lord turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth. They call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. Many are the trials of the just man but from them all the Lord will rescue him.

He will keep guard over all his bones, not one of his bones shall be broken. The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.

Gospel Acclamation : Joel2:12-13

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, for I am all tenderness and compassion. Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Gospel : John 7:1-2,10,25-30

Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay in Judaea because the Jews were out to kill him. As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, however, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself. Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Isn’t this the man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from. Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out: ‘Yes, you know me and you know where I came from. Yet I have not come of myself: no, there is one who sent me and I really come from him, and you do not know him, but I know him because I have come from him and it was he who sent me.’ They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.

Prayer over the Offerings

May this sacrifice, almighty God, cleanse us by its mighty power and lead us to approach its source with ever greater purity. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon : Eph 1: 7

In Christ, we have redemption by his Blood, and forgiveness of our sins, in accord with the riches of his grace.

Prayer after Communion

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, as we pass from old to new, so, with former ways left behind, we may be renewed in holiness of mind. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People          

Look upon your servants, O Lord, and in your goodness protect with heavenly assistance those who trust in your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

Though Jesus is on a private visit to the feast, he performs his ministry, preaching in public, to the astonishment of those who felt he should have been arrested already. Jesus does not expose himself unnecessarily to danger. His time has not come, but it is near, the ultimate hour of sacrifice when he will willingly suffer and go to the cross for you and me. The religious authorities sought to arrest Jesus because they rejected his claim to be the Son of God. Jesus insisted that he was the Messiah, God’s Anointed One, and that the Jews did not know God; but that Jesus alone knew him. Jesus is happy with us because: “Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8) Jesus would not be Jesus if he kept his message to himself. The Word of God cannot remain silent. So we open up to it as we die with our Master.

Thursday 14th  March

Saint Matilda

(c.895 – 968)

Purple

She was the wife of King Henry I of Germany. Saint Matilda interceded with the king on behalf of criminals, nursed the sick, taught the unschooled, and was generous in almsgiving.

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 104: 3-4

Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.

Collect

We invoke your mercy in humble prayer, O Lord, that you may cause us, your servants, corrected by penance and schooled by good works, to persevere sincerely in your commands and come safely to the paschal festivities. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading : Exodus 32:7-14

The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’ But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Why let the Egyptians say, “Ah, it was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth”? Leave your burning wrath; relent and do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.’ So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 105:19-23

R/            O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.

They fashioned a calf at Horeb and worshipped an image of metal, exchanging the God who was their glory for the image of a bull that eats grass.

They forgot the God who was their Saviour, who had done such great things in Egypt, such portents in the land of Ham, such marvels at the Red Sea.

For this he said he would destroy them, but Moses, the man he had chosen, stood in the breach before him, to turn back his anger from destruction.

Gospel Acclamation : cf.Jn6:63,68

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life. Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Gospel : John 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews: ‘Were I to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid; but there is another witness who can speak on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is valid. You sent messengers to John, and he gave his testimony to the truth: not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I speak of this. John was a lamp alight and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave. But my testimony is greater than John’s: the works my Father has given me to carry out, these same works of mine testify that the Father has sent me. Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape, and his word finds no home in you because you do not believe in the one he has sent. ‘You study the Scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life; now these same Scriptures testify to me, and yet you refuse to come to me for life! As for human approval, this means nothing to me. Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you. I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else comes in his own name you will accept him. How can you believe, since you look to one another for approval and are not concerned with the approval that comes from the one God? Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father: you place your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be your accuser. If you really believed him you would believe me too, since it was I that he was writing about; but if you refuse to believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?’

Prayer over the Offerings

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that what we offer in sacrifice may cleanse us in our frailty from every evil and always grant us your protection. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon : Jer 31: 33

I will place my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, says the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

May this Sacrament we have received purify us, we pray, O Lord, and grant your servants freedom from all blame, that those bound by a guilty conscience may glory in the fullness of heavenly remedy. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

The works performed by Jesus offer testimony to His mission given Him by the Father in Heaven. Understanding this will help us to embrace our mission in life. Jesus’ works testified to his mission. In other words, His works spoke a message to others about who He was. The witness of His actions revealed His very essence and His union with the will of the Father. If you embrace this mission in great and small ways, the Gospel will manifest to others through you, and the will of the Father will be more fully accomplished in our world.

Tuesday 12th March

Saint Fina

Purple

She lived as a poor hermit whom cared for the poor the best that she could. Saint Fina lived according to the Rule of Saint Benedict and had a vision of Saint Gregory which foretold the date of her death.

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Is 55: 1

All who are thirsty, come to the waters, says the Lord. Though you have no money, come and drink with joy.

Collect

May the venerable exercises of holy devotion shape the hearts of your faithful, O Lord, to welcome worthily the Paschal Mystery and proclaim the praises of your salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading : Ezekiel 47:1-9,12

The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. The man went to the east holding his measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he then made me wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across again; the water reached my waist. He measured off another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the stream had swollen and was now deep water, a river impossible to cross. He then said, ‘Do you see, son of man?’ He took me further, then brought me back to the bank of the river. When I got back, there were many trees on each bank of the river. He said, ‘This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.’

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45:2-3,5-6,8-9

R/   The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

God is for us a refuge and strength, a helper close at hand, in time of distress, so we shall not fear though the earth should rock, though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within, it cannot be shaken; God will help it at the dawning of the day.

The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Come, consider the works of the Lord, the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.

Gospel Acclamation : Ps50:12,14

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! A pure heart create for me, O God, and give me again the joy of your help. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel : John 5:1-3,5-16

There was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem there is a building, called Bethzatha in Hebrew, consisting of five porticos; and under these were crowds of sick people – blind, lame, paralysed – waiting for the water to move; One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight years, and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in this condition for a long time, he said, ‘Do you want to be well again?’ ‘Sir,’ replied the sick man ‘I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.’ Jesus said, ‘Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk.’ The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away. Now that day happened to be the sabbath, so the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; you are not allowed to carry your sleeping-mat.’ He replied, ‘But the man who cured me told me, “Pick up your mat and walk.”’ They asked, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Pick up your mat and walk”?’ The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared into the crowd that filled the place. After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, ‘Now you are well again, be sure not to sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.’ The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. It was because he did things like this on the sabbath that the Jews began to persecute Jesus.

Prayer over the Offerings

We offer to you, O Lord, these gifts which you yourself have bestowed; may they attest to your care as Creator for this our mortal life, and effect in us the healing that brings us immortality. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 22: 1-2

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose, near restful waters he leads me.

Prayer after Communion

Purify our minds, O Lord, we pray, and renew them with this heavenly Sacrament, that we may find help for our bodies now and likewise in times to come. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

With the action of Jesus, we find that the word of God is endowed with great power. Jesus heals a sick man without touching him; the word coming from his mouth is amply sufficient. To heal, Jesus is not limited to time and space. Doing good outweighs everything, even the rest of the Sabbath. Jesus always makes himself available to restore the human person in his dignity. Thus, he does not adhere to the logic of law enforcement for the sake of the law. Instead, he shows by his action that the law is made for the good of the human being and not to enslave him. The word emerging from God’s mouth frees human persons if and only if they welcome it with faith, trust and hope. Lord, help us to believe in your word that heals and liberates.

Monday 11th March

Saint Aengus

(- 824)

Purple

He was born near Clonenagh, Ireland. He was first a hermit and later joined the monastery of Tallaght. He was a co-author of a martyrology written in 790. He died on 11 March 824.

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 30: 7-8

As for me, I trust in the Lord. Let me be glad and rejoice in your mercy, for you have seen my affliction.

Collect

O God, who renew the world through mysteries beyond all telling, grant, we pray, that your Church may be guided by your eternal design and not be deprived of your help in this present age. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading : Isaiah 65:17-21

Thus says the Lord: Now I create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men’s minds. Be glad and rejoice for ever and ever for what I am creating, because I now create Jerusalem ‘Joy’ and her people ‘Gladness.’ I shall rejoice over Jerusalem and exult in my people. No more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard in her; in her, no more will be found the infant living a few days only, or the old man not living to the end of his days. To die at the age of a hundred will be dying young; not to live to be a hundred will be the sign of a curse. They will build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 29:2,4-6,11-13

R/  I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me and have not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead, restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him, give thanks to his holy name. His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life. At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

The Lord listened and had pity. The Lord came to my help. For me you have changed my mourning into dancing: O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

Gospel Acclamation : cf.Ps129:5,7

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word, because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel : John 4:43-54

Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. He himself had declared that there is no respect for a prophet in his own country, but on his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended. He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a court official there whose son was ill at Capernaum and, hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son as he was at the point of death. Jesus said, ‘So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!’ ‘Sir,’ answered the official ‘come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go home,’ said Jesus ‘your son will live.’ The man believed what Jesus had said and started on his way; and while he was still on the journey back his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. ‘The fever left him yesterday’ they said ‘at the seventh hour.’ The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, ‘Your son will live’; and he and all his household believed. This was the second sign given by Jesus, on his return from Judaea to Galilee.

Prayer over the Offerings

May we receive O Lord, we pray, the effects of this offering dedicated to you, so that we may be cleansed from old earthly ways and be renewed by growth in heavenly life. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon : Ez 36: 27

I will place my spirit within you and make you walk according to my laws; and my judgements you shall keep and observe, says the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

May your holy gifts, O Lord, we pray, give us life by making us new, and, by sanctifying us, lead us to things eternal. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

Have you ever held the position that unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe? In our Gospel today, Jesus asks the same question to the court official: So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents? We all long for certainty. When we pray, we wish God would show us a sign about what we have prayed for or a sign to confirm a decision we have made. But the Scriptures have shown that despite signs and wonders, people still didn’t believe. Jesus did a lot of miracles in his time and his apostles, but some still did not believe. The apostle Thomas did not believe that Jesus had risen until the resurrected Christ put his hand on his wound. What we most need is faith and not signs and wonders. Because if we have faith, we will see the confirmation of our prayers through people, ordinary occurrences in our lives, and our inner certainty.